


Watch Where You're Going

by KrysKrossZee



Series: Quinzee's Love Fest 2021 [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Developing Friendships, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hospitals, Sick Character, St Mungo's Hospital
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29330517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrysKrossZee/pseuds/KrysKrossZee
Summary: Neville's clumsiness leads to the beginnings of an unexpected friendship.
Relationships: Neville Longbottom & Theodore Nott
Series: Quinzee's Love Fest 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153220
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5
Collections: Love Fest 2021





	Watch Where You're Going

**Author's Note:**

  * For [In_Dreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_Dreams/gifts).



> My second fic for the Fairest of the Rare's Love Fest 2021. #TeamCass
> 
> Written for In_Dreams.
> 
> Prompts used-
> 
> Theo/Neville (sorry it's only platonic atm!)  
> St Mungo's.

"Will you watch where you're going?!" A voice snarled from above Neville. He had ended up on the floor after crashing into the owner of the voice. It was his fault, he knew that. He hadn't exactly been looking where he was going as he had wound his way through the somewhat confusing corridors of St Mungo's. He sort of figured that he knew his way around the hospital by now and in his hurry to get to his parents' ward, he hadn't even considered that there might be any other people in the hospital.

Neville quickly gathered up the flowers that he had bought for his mother and scrambled to his feet, only to come face to face with someone he remembered from school, someone he remembered bullying him in school. He felt his breath catch in the back of his throat but he forced himself to look the man in the eye. They weren't children anymore and there was very little that the ex-Slytherin could do to hurt him, unless he wanted the entire auror department on his case.

"It was an accident." Neville said as calmly as he could manage, hoping that the feeling of pure panic didn't translate into his expression as he made eye contact with Theodore Nott. He had nothing to be afraid of, and yet he was still afraid.

Theodore gave a slight nod as he straightened out his shirt. He blew out a puff of air as he glanced over his shoulder before he met Neville's eyes again and with his next words Neville had to wonder if he was checking to see if there was anyone listening in. "Yeah, I know. I… just be careful, yeah? I know we're in close proximity to healers, but this really isn't the place to actually get into accidents." Theodore's voice was softer now, almost as if a switch had been flipped.

"That's a good point. They've got enough to contend with." Neville nodded as he clutched the flowers just that little bit tighter. He wasn't as scared now but that didn't mean that he wasn't nervous, especially when Theodore appeared to be being nice to him. He didn't want to ruin that either, though he couldn't have told you why he cared so much about this conversation when he had put everything that had happened at Hogwarts behind him.

"Exactly, so make sure you look where you're going." Theodore repeated his earlier statement, though this time he seemed to manage a smile.

Neville tried to shrug off how weird this exchange felt to him as he flashed Theodore a smile and a "thanks" before he gave him a small, awkward wave and continued on his way to his parents' ward.

**

Hospital food was complete and utter crap, but there was something to be said about their coffee. It always seemed to be extra potent, as if they were deliberately trying to keep their employees awake, which he supposed was completely possible. All Neville knew was that he felt so much better about being in the hospital after his dose of caffeine. He loved spending time with his parents but there was no denying that the whole experience was draining, both mentally and physically. Even after all these years and no matter how many times a week he visited, they still appeared to have no recollection of who he was and there was no hope of a 'cure' to their mental state in sight.

Neville was contentedly nursing a hot cup of coffee when he heard a voice say his name. He looked up to see that Theodore had dropped into the seat across from him and was giving him a soft smile. Neville wanted to ask the man what he was doing but the words didn't seem to want to come out - not to mention the fact that he was aware that it would be rude to just randomly demand answers like that.

"Hello." Theodore said, his words just a little bit tentative, and Neville was aware that he had probably already said 'hello' before he had sat down and Neville had blanked him.

"Uh - hi." Neville didn’t know if this was part of some sort of trick or if Theodore just simply hadn’t been able to find anywhere else to sit, but he did know that the Slytherin alumnus was sitting opposite him with his own cup of coffee and a confusing smile on his lips.

“I take it you’re just visiting?” Theodore asked, seemingly deciding to make conversation and so Neville found himself leaning towards him having nowhere else to sit.

“Yeah, my parents.” Neville said vaguely. He was better now at telling people about his parents, but those people were usually his friends and not someone who bullied him in the past. He was sure that Theodore knew about them through his father anyway. He knew that was probably an unfair judgement on him, but it was no secret that Nott Sr had once run in the same circles as those who had put his parents in the hospital in the first place. “You?” He decided to ask so that he could at least try to move the focus off of his parents, though he wasn’t sure that he actually wanted to know anything more about the other man than she did now.

“Ah, same.” His words were somewhat surprising to Neville. Wasn’t Nott Sr meant to be in Azkaban? But then, Neville supposed, if he was sick then it was possible that he had been granted release for extra care.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Neville said genuinely, his voice soft. Even though he wasn’t particularly fond of Theodore or his father, he knew firsthand how worrying it could be to have a parent in the hospital. He knew that Theodore’s mother had died when he was very young as well so he could only imagine how worried the man was. When his own grandmother had gotten ill a year ago, Neville had felt like his whole world was about to come crashing down. He knew now that this was an exaggeration considering the war that they had lived through, and his grandmother had recovered, but the panic in the moment had been very real.

Theodore gave a shrug, as if it wasn’t a big deal, but the very fact that Nott Sr had been released from the prison told Neville that his ailment was serious and life-threatening. He watched the other man as he dropped his eyes to his coffee cup and Neville realised that he had probably sat down beside him because he needed a friend.

“You get used to the coffee.” Neville commented, deciding to change the subject once more. “It’s a bit like drinking tar in the beginning, and my gran once told me that it was the reason that most of the wards here are filled in the first place but now I find that I can’t get through my week without having at least one cup.”

“I would say that one cup has enough caffeine in it to get you through a week, yeah.” He heard Theodore give a chuckle and that was enough to get Neville to relax just a little bit. They both could use a friend, and who was he to take that away from him when he could use a friend who understood just as much?


End file.
